Apparatus for removing piles of coal



(No Model.)

J. M. DODGE.

APPARATUS P0P PPMOVING PILES oP GOAL.

Patented 00P. 28, 1890.

JAMES M. DODGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE DODGE COAL STORAGE COMPANY, OF NAUGATUOK, CONNECTICUT.

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING PILES OF COAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 439,487, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed September Z8, 1887. Serial No. 250,896. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. DODGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for Removing Piles of Coal and Analogous Material, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for removing piles of coal and analogous material,

io suoli as are usually formed by discharging large quantities of material from cars or boats, and are formed into storage-piles by the process set forth in the patent granted to me on the th day of August, 1889, No. 409,636.

f5 The object of my invention is to carry away the material in a continuous stream to a central point of delivery, Where it is discharged into cars or boats.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 2o aplan view illustrating the apparatus. Fig.

2 is an end vieu1 of said apparatus; and Fig.

3 is a detailed cross-section on the line 1 2, Fig. 1.

A' represents t1estle\vo1'k, on which is mounted the track a for the accommodation of the cars carrying the coal or analogous material to be dumped into a pile Which is formed,

as shown at XV, at one side oi' the track. This pile may be formed by power-driven convey.

ers or pilers, or by shoveling, as desired. In the present instance there is a depressed track B, running parallel With the elevated track a, and on this track are the cars to be loaded from the pile XV by the mechanism which I 3 5 will now proceed to describe.

D is a stationary frame, mounted in the present instance transversely to the trestle- Work A, and pivoted to this frame at (Z'is a conveyentrough E, which can travel in a path 4o indicated by the dotted line a', Fig. l. Pivoted at f to this convcyer-trough is a second conveyentrough F, which can move in the -arc of a circle indicated by the dotted line from its pivot-point f. The formation of the conveyor-troughs is clearly shown in Fig. 3,

each trough being provided with a bottom c and one side c', the top and one side being open to allow for the passage of coal into the trough.

At the pivot-point d is a vertical shaft c,

and at the pivot-point f is a vertical shaft f', While at the extreme end of the conveyertroughF is a shaft g. On each of these shafts is mounted a sprocket-Wheel or pulley, over which passes the endless chain or rope G, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and at intervals throughout the length of both eonveyertroughs are a series of supporting Wheels or pulleys h, mounted on shafts h', secured to the frame 71.2 on the conveyer-trough, as shown 6o in Fig. 3. On the conveyer chain or rope are a series of conveyer-tlights yi, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, which are so set as to travelaloug the bottom of the conveyer-trough in the direction of the arrows, Fig. l, passing around the sheaves on the shafts f and e and returning over the conveyer, the chains resting upon the supporting-sheaves h. The chain passes around the driving sproeket-wheelj on a shaft J, which has a pulley j', over which passes a 7o belt from the driving-shaft K.

Although it will be evident that other systems of driving may be used Without departing from my invention, it will be seen that both the conveyer G and conveyor F can be moved toward or from the pile of coal Without interfering with the driving mechanism. The conveyer-troughs are mounted on suitable sills or Ways II, having their inner ends preferably pointed, so that they may be 8o readily forced into the mass of coal. In the present instance I have shown winding-jacks L mounted on the conveyor-trough F, and each connected by a chain Z with any suitable stationary object on the opposite side of the coal-heap, so that on operating these jacks the conveyer-troughs can be moved toward the pile of coal. The coal from the conveyer G may be carried to the cars or boats to be loaded in any suitable manner, and I 9o have shown in the drawings one forni of device for carrying the coal to the ears,whichI willf now proceed to describe.

M is a pit or recei\f'ingchamber into which the coal or analogous material falls from the g 5 conveyer G, and extending from the upper edge of this chamber is au inclined trough M', supported at its upper edge by the trestle Work M2.

N is an inclined conveyer-chain provided roo with tiights onwhich passes around a sprocket n at the lower end of the trough M and around a sprocket-wheel n2 at its upper end. This conveyer is adapted to the bottom of the receiving-chamberand to the bottom of the trough M, so that any material that passes into the receiving-chamber will be carried up in the trough M and dumped into a suitable chute P, from which it is directed to the car, boat, or other receptacle. The sprocket-wheel n2 is mounted on a shaft n3, on which is a driving-pulley n4, over which passes a belt from the main driving-shaft K, described above.

The operation of the device is as follows: After the conveyer-chains have been set in motion and the conveyers adjusted to the edges of the pile, the flights will disturb particles of coal along the edges, which will flow by gravity into the conveyer-trough, the flights carrying the coal longitudinally along' the trough to the point of delivery, the coal falling, in the present instance, into the receiving-chamber, from which it is carried up into the chute P and there allowed to flow into receiving cars or boats. At intervals the conveyer-troughs are moved toward the pile, the flights continually disturbing the mass and allowing sufficient of the coal to flow into the conveyers and be carried off. This operation is repeated until the entire mass of coal has been removed; or the operation can be arrested at intervals, as circumstances require. The chute .P may direct the coal into suitable receiving-chambers for storing small quantities of the coal, and the coal may be fed from these receiving-chambers into the boats or cars to be loaded. In some instances the sills II may be dispensed with where the mass of coal is dumped upon a previously-pre pared floor or upon a hard and level surface, and in some instances the additional conveying-trough F may be dispensed with and a sin gle trough be used, said single trough being preferably of a length suflicient to remove the major'portion of the coal piled; or, on the other hand, more than two hinged troughs may be used, depending altogether upon the size and contour of pile or heap of material and the character or nature of material being operated upon. In some instances, owing to the immobility of the particles composing the mass, some portions of the heap may be undercut, so as to form overhanging ledges of coal, which will have to be removed by what are known as trimmers to facilitate the ready removal of the coal and prevent the avalanching of the coal at one or more points. The coal can be disturbed at intervals along the upper surface by treading or agtatin g it at the points Where these overhanging ledges are forming, and in order to carry the coal from a distant point at an incline less than the ordinary angle of repose, I provide trimmer-chutes, over which the coal may flow to the point of delivery. The floor of the conveyer-trough may be extended in Width to a greater extent than shown, and may be provided with metallic or other sharpened edges to assist in penetrating or passing through the mass of material to be operated'upon.

The details of construction of the abovedescribed apparatus may be varied Without departing from my-invention, as the locality and form of pile necessitate different modifications. Instead of the conveyer-trough M and the conveyer-chain N, other forms of conveyers may be used-such, for-instance, as a vertical elevator, into the boot of which the material may be discharged from the end of the trough G; or the material discharged from the eonveyer-trou gh may be removed by hand. The formation of the conveyers themselves may be varied, the object being to transfer the coal from the pile in a continuous stream by means of a conveyer propelled longitudinally in respect to the conveyer-trough.

I claim as my inven tionl. In au apparatus for removi ng coal or analogous material from a pile, the combination of a horizontal conveyer-trough, a conveyer therein, a pivotfor said trough, and mechanism for driving the conveyer, said conveyertrough being free to move laterally on its pivot, whereby it can be projected in a horizontal plane against and into the pile of material, so as to receive material by gravity from said pile, substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus for removing coal or analogous material from a pile, the combination of a conveyer-trough constructed with one side open, a pivot for said trough, a conveyer in said trough, and mechanism for driving the conveyer, the whole being so arranged that the trough can be moved on its pivot against and into the pile in a plane substantially the same as that of the base of said pile, whereby the materialis induced to iiow by gravity into the trough and is carried lengthwise therein by the conveyer to the pivot-point, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in an apparatus for removing coal or analogous material from a pile, of a receiving-trough, a fixed vertical pivot therefor, a supplementary open sided conveyer-trough, a vertical pivot connecting the two troughs, conveyers in said troughs, and mechanism for operating said conveyers, whereby the receiving-trough can bemoved laterally on the fixed pivot toward and into the pile and the supplementary trough can be moved laterally on its pivot independently of the receiving-trough, butin the same plane, substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus for removing coal or analogous material from a pile, the combination of the vertically-pivoted conveyer-trough, the supplementary trough joined thereto, both troughs being open at their sides to receive the material, conveyers adapted to said troughs, and mechanism for operating said conveyers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In an apparatus for removing coal or an- IOO IIO

alogous material from a pile, the horizontal eonveye1'-trough, a vertical pivot therefor, and Conveyei-S therein, said oonveyentrough being free to move siclewise in a horizontal plane against and into the pile, in combination with an elevating-oonveyer at the discharge end of the pivoted eonveyer and from which it receives the material and carries it above the level of the terminal point of said pivoted eonveyer, substantially as specified. [o

In Witness 'whereof I have hereunto setmy hand this 24th (lay of September, 1887.

JAMES M. DODGE. In presence of- GEO. M. BAKER,- D. E. KERN. 

